Wenatchee Police To Host Citizens Academy For Public Outreach

The Wenatchee Police Department is accepting applications for the Citizens Academy.  

This Academy's intended to open a dialog and encourage community service by educating the public about police policies and procedures and the challenges faced by local law enforcement. 

Wenatchee Police Corporal Erik Bakke says the academy provides a way for residents to express their feelings and concerns about police operations. 

"It's a community focused program where we can just create a public forum with the community and they can just talk and hear peoples' opinions or their concerns," said Bakke. 

The Citizens Academy is a program generally held on Thursday evenings during the late summer and fall months.  

Wenatchee residents are provided with firsthand information about how the Wenatchee Police Department operates. 

Academy sessions are taught by police officers, support personnel and other local criminal justice professionals.  

The weekly three-hour sessions cover a wide range of topics. 

They include information about specialty units, patrol procedures, community-oriented policing, domestic violence, sex crimes, dispatch and records procedures, high-risk calls, use of force, career development, traffic enforcement and court procedures.  

The Citizens Academy is not specifically meant for people who want to become Police Officers. 

"It can be for people who are interested in getting into law enforcement, but it's not specific to those people," Bakke said. "It just kind of a way for people to learn why we're doing what we're doing." 

People who attend the Citizens Academy can ask questions and apply the information they receive in a practical setting. 

Citizens Academy attendees, for example, could ask about driving a police patrol car through a skills course. 

The Academy is a free 14-week class for the public, held on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Academy is generally held from the end of August until mid-November. 

Access an application for the Citizens Academy here.